Scary Day at the Range!

[rockquarry]

I've used metal targets, years ago, but couldn't see much purpose when "safe" paper targets work so well. Some shooters, for their own reasons,
prefer metal targets. Just be careful.

 

[mikerjf]

Once I sat a couple tin cans on top of an old tire. Fortunately just .22. Learned from that, and from the stories here today!

 

[TJm15.38]

The people on the pistol range next to me today were shooting various steel targets at 15 yards while I was punching paper one berm over with a Model 10 and .38 wadcutters. My range was totally safe, but there's was highly suspect and probably risky. I thought about your post on this subject. Ricochets are for real and dangerous.

 

[wood714]

My son was next ,2nd shot and a ricochet bounced off his skull in a really bad way. Dead center high. Thank God he didn't get killed or really hurt bad. Major concussion, lots of blood.

Can't imagine how scared you was, but can imagine the relief after finding out he wasn't hurt too bad. Did he make a visit to the ER?

Most glad things weren't worst for y'all.

 

[jake1945]

Hard packed dirt will send bullets back at you too! Happened to me.

 

[Nonno]

This is why it is always good to have an IFAK kit, including a tourniquet, in your range bag. Cheap insurance, a basic one won't set you back any more than 3 or 4 boxes of .357.

 

[pantannojack]

Primarily a HP Rifle shooter, competitor, I joined a very well disciplined club of Small Bore, HP X Corse, Bullseye Pistol shooters. Over the years as thrill seekers wanted to feel important, the "combat shooters" asked for a small corner of the property. Soon after approval, with promise after promise of safety discipline and respect for other sections, they began importing thousands of tires determined to be hazardous waste for their "safe" impact berms. Then they carved into the adjacent Small Bore range ruining the neutral wind factor, invaded the HP range and shot splattered the 6x6 ft target frames, closed the entire range from other disciplined members, invited their macho minded friends to speed thru the residential zone approaching the club, and basically changed the entire demeanor of the club. All for the rush of danger close risk. Just a sad story.

 

[Dvus]

At a local USPSA match about 2 years ago, match directors paused the match to inspect everyone's ammo. They were looking for steel jacketed ammo because a bystander the next bay over from me had taken a ricochet to his neck. The bullet went through and through at a downward angle, somehow missing everything vital. No one was shooting in that bay at the time, so it had to come over one of the side berms from another bay. The offending projectile was never found, and neither was any steel jacketed ammo. Couldn't even determine which of the 7 bays it came from.

 

[CH4]

We had this happen during a department qualification where pepper poppers were included in the course of fire, except it was a low head shot. Yep, the unfortunate officer 5x'd big Jim and the twins with a 45 cal, 230 FMJ ricochet.

 

[Farmer17]

This knife stopped a 38 special bullet from about 6' away. No ricochet, just an accident and a bruised leg. Keep the gun pointing away from what ever you don't want to shoot. He's one of my best friends, but accidents happen to the best of us. I'm okay. We don't talk about it. Still best of friends.

I swear I have that exact same knife in your photos in my tackle box! The blade has tarnished from keeping it in the leather sheath but it still works just fine. I was very young in the 1960's and my mom bought it for me with S & H Green stamps. Anyone remember those?

 

[BE Mike]

Organized shooting is one of the safest sports extant. Shooting at steel can be dangerous, especially when the targets are damaged. Glad that things weren't worse. Keep wearing that safety equipment. Top eye and ear protection is worth every penny.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Some of you, but maybe not all of you, are aware of the fact that cowboy action shooting is all done with steel targets. Rifle, pistol, and shotgun. Shotgun targets are generally relatively close (not including clay birds) and swing when hit. Sometimes there are knockdown targets for rifles or revolvers. In any event, all competitors are required to wear eye and ear protection and the smart shooters use shooting glasses with side shields because little pieces can come from any direction and there are always several stages operating at once except when only a very few shooters are involved.

I have had small pieces of lead stuck into my cowboy hat, I have seen .45 Colt revolver bullets come straight back at me and hit me in the chest (the bullets used in CAS move so slowly you can often watch them exit a revolver!), and I have been nicked by small, TINY even, pieces of lead. CAS range masters do everything that they can to reduce any ricochets but they happen.

Many, MANY years ago I had a Llama 1911 that sent hot brass back at me every round resulting in welts and cuts on my forehead depending on which end of the brass struck me. I learned to never shoot at a range without a cap on (eyes and ears were standard, of course) and to never wear a loose t-shirt or shoes without socks. Hot brass ain't any fun.....

 

[mk70ss]

My range bag includes a tourniquet, trauma bandages and rapid clot. You just never know.

 

[Empe]

I'm glad your son is okay .

Would you care to elaborate on your steel target set up ?
I'm sure many of us could learn from your experience.
I shoot a lot of steel with handguns at distances of no more than 20 yards ....never had any problems...so far .
The targets are angled away from the shooter and the bullets are deflected downward .

 

[shovelhead]

Probably 1975-76 time frame I went to an sketchy indoor range in a sketchier city outside of Detroit with a couple friends. Indoor ranges were few and far between back then and the ones run by the Michigan DNR had a rule of one round loaded at a time so without any land to shoot there wasn't much of a choice.

Anyhow another shooter a couple of lanes down shot and suddenly I felt a sharp "bite" and burning in my leg. Copper jacket from one of his bullets got me and good. Pulled the shrapnel out, not even a band aid available from the range.

Anyhow,

 

[Rudi]

After reading this I'm done shooting steel at pistol close ranges. I've had 2 40grn. 22LR ricochets bounce off my head. Still have one in my spent bullet collection. Makes a very strange sound in your head at impact.

 

[Golddollar]

I
I was very young in the 1960's and my mom bought it for me with S & H Green stamps. Anyone remember those?

Remember them? I used to lick them and put them in the books for my grandmother.

 

[Golddollar]

It's not just spent bullets that can come back and hit you. Years ago I was the chief range officer for the bowling pin matches at my club. One day somebody shot a bowling pin that came apart and the plastic base plug flew back and hit me in the head!

 

[zeke]

Am very glad those involved were alright.

Our range has AR 500 swinging targets at the 22, pistol, rifle and aux (600) yd range. Rules are no closer than 25 yds at pistol/22 ranges and no closer than 100 yds on the rifle range. No rifles or rifle calibers on the pistol range and no magnum rifles on the 100 yd range.
Was the main proponent of steel at our range, and have seen the effects of heavy use.

Imo shooting at any soft, pockmarked, fixed position or close range steels increases your risk substantially. It took me years to get the old timers from hanging very heavy soft plates up at the range. Hitting a pockmark can send a rifle bullet right back at ya from a hundred yds away. Shooting at targets on the ground will almost guarantee a skip when you miss on hard ground. This is why all targets must be set at base of berm, or on berm. Basically you are required to shoot at paper or the provided steel.

Got some education one day when took off the ear protection and listened to "whizzes". Turns out the bullets/fragments directed downward were blowing away the dirt at base and ricocheting off at the pistol range. We now have old conveyor belt sections below the swinging pistol targets.

We went to steel because of the heavy use and impracticality/safety concerns of running up to mess with paper targets when crowded. There are no full time range masters, yet.

 

[sjacobs]

Agree steel can be dangerous but even #9 shot on a skeet range can ricochet. Was sitting on the scoring stand behind station 4 while my partner on station 1 broke a low house not far from the high house nearly 180 degrees away from me. I felt something hit the sleeve of my shirt and there was a piece of lead shot laying on my sleeve. We surmised it must have somehow followed the round lip of the pigeon and came back the other direction. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't believe that was even possible. No other shooters in the area.